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Sir John William Alcock

Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

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Aviator. Born in Manchester, Alcock served in the Royal Naval Air Service throughout the First World War. He was stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean and flew numerous missions over Turkey. A courageous solo attack on three Turkish planes won him the DSC. He was taken prisoner in 1917. On 14–15 June 1919 he and Arthur Brown as navigator made the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic in a Vickers Vimy, a journey which took 16 hours 27 minutes. He was knighted that year, but died in a flying accident soon after.
Alcock's protective gauntlets, goggles and cap are a reminder of how exposed early aviators were.

National Portrait Gallery, London

London

Title

Sir John William Alcock

Date

1919

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 149.9 x W 101.6 cm

Accession number

1894

Acquisition method

Given by Rolls-Royce, 1921

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

National Portrait Gallery, London

St Martin’s Place, London, Greater London WC2H 0HE England

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